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The Clintons' War Against the Math

May 06, 2008 1:58 PM

First the Clinton campaign started trying to change the English language.

"Superdelegates" is a long established word in politics. "We need superdelegates to win the nomination, and the Democratic caucuses will not endorse unless we meet with them," said Dee Dee Myers, press secretary to then-Gov. Bill Clinton in 1992.

But then the Clinton campaign realized its candidate couldn't likely win the nomination without superdelegates voting en masse contrary to what a majority of the pledged delegates did.

So to fight the impression of a bunch of (mostly white) party insiders "thwarting" the will of the pledged delegates -- as the Obama campaign likes to cast it, though DNC rules allow super-Ds to vote however they want, for whatever reason they want -- the Clinton campaign replaced "superdelegates" in their lexicon with "automatic delegates." 

(How very Humpty-Dumpty. "'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.'" )

Then the Clinton campaign went after history -- stating flatly that Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, never supported NAFTA, for instance. Which may be what she felt in her heart, but as a member of the Clinton administration she spoke in favor of it publicly and privately, lobbying support for the trade plan.

So English, then History.

And now they're going after the math.

Since Clinton is unlikely to reach 2,025 delegates before Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois does, they simply have declared a new number as the target.

The DNC says the number is 2,025. But the Clinton campaign has decided that since in their view Michigan and Florida should count 100% -- despite the fact that according to the DNC, those states don't count right now -- the new number is actually 2,209.

Despite the fact that Clinton campaign chief Harold Ickes as a member of the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee voted to strip those two states of their delegates for violating DNC rules and holding their contests early…despite the fact that Clinton campaign chair Terry MacAuliffe made a similar threat to Michigan when he helmed the DNC in 1996 -- they have created an alternative universe where previous statements of principle, and rules don't matter.

Clinton started pushing that number today. 2,209. (Though her website says the number is actually 2,208.)

The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee will meet on May 31 to consider challenges to its decision to not recognize Michigan and Florida.

There will likely be something worked out. But to presume it will just be a 100% recognition of two states that broke the rules is a rather strong presumption. Informed Democrats speculate it could be something like 50% of the delegates counting. Either way, nothing has been worked out yet. 2,209 is not reality. 2,209 is based on conjecture.

So the Clintons are battling the math. (Not to mention her new battle with economists.)

English, then History then Math.

Science -- watch your back.

- jpt

May 6, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (58)

User Comments

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Nicholas -

She's much more unelectable.

Why can't Hillary win Black and Educated voters?

Posted by: JON | May 6, 2008 3:30:07 PM

Political Center.

-----

Umm...no. It's not "unless Michigan and Florida are not seated." They have already been banned from being seated. If and when they are seated, the number will change. Until then, the number is the number given by the Clinton campaign for the first 14 months of this campaign, by the Obama campaign, AND the DNC.

2024.

Posted by: JON | May 6, 2008 3:29:14 PM

It wouldn't be a problem if the just count Floria and Michigan

Posted by: cats face | May 6, 2008 3:28:39 PM

I heard this morning the media experts,
that: if Obama gets the nomination,around 20% of democrats will
vote for McCain.
This is a disaster for the democratic party.
Remember Dukakis????? He lost 45 states
in general elections.
OBAMA IS UNELECTABLE.

Posted by: Nicholas | May 6, 2008 3:27:54 PM

So, the math is wrong? What is wrong with this picture is that there is only one official number and that is not the one promoted and adopted by the AP, CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC, all of whom call Obama to find out the numbers. The right number is what is set by the DNC, which has never changed the number to the new lower one.

So let's at least report the truth. Unless Florida and Michigan are not seated, an event yet to happen but that is like to take place, the right number is the one that the Clinton camp is saying is correct. Not Obama's number that the media have all adopted.

Posted by: Political Center | May 6, 2008 3:26:28 PM

It's really too bad that there isn't an even higher number than 2026 for Clinton to make as the "new goal post!"

I'm sure she'd like that!

What she doesn't say is that raising the number means she is even further behind!

She continues to fall behind every day!!! Senator Obama has surpassed the number of delegates Hillabeans netted from her PA "win," with the supers he's picked up just since that vote. And beginning tomorrow, I expect he'll surpass any net gain she has from a potenial Indiana win (if she does), by the end of the week.

She's math challenged, physics challenged and economics challenged!

Do we really want her to be President?

Obama 2008 -- Yes, WE CAN!!!

Posted by: Jackt51 -- Vietnam Vet and Proud Liberal | May 6, 2008 3:18:09 PM

We don't need beautiful speeches America needs a solution. NOBAMA for AMERICA.

Posted by: Sam Lim | May 6, 2008 3:16:50 PM

All of you people who are opposed to Hillary because she was misquoted about her Bosnia experience, or because of her failure to pass a health-care plan 15 years ago, or because of her Travel-Gate experience, or because of her failure to release her records from the 1990s, or because of her failure to release her tax returns -- you're just part of that vast right-wing conspiracy, and you are not entitled to weigh in on who the next Democratic nominee will be.

Posted by: george | May 6, 2008 3:13:09 PM

Aaron - Give her a Break Gravitational Theory is just a theory.

You can't prove or disprove all of the effects attributed to this THEORY.

Hillary knows gravity is just a theory. Like many other Americans she ain't gonna some theory tell her what to think. By the way ain't theories just made up of bunch of 50 dollar words, anyway?

Actions over words. That's what Hillary says.

Posted by: The Commander Guy | May 6, 2008 3:11:25 PM

Hillary is running for miracle.

Posted by: catiger | May 6, 2008 3:03:54 PM

I don't know what that story about Wright is supposed to demonstrate, Wrong. That he's somehow LESS savory? That it's even less understandable why Obama remained in the pews, raising his children steeped in such not only anti-American fervor, but spewed by a known adulterer as well?

Oprah left the church over differences with Wright. Maybe even this one. Why didn't he?

Posted by: commonsensenj | May 6, 2008 3:01:30 PM

I only count votes of people who live at elevations above 2200 ft. and below 3275 ft. Because that way, HILLARY is winning.

Posted by: Is she fot real? | May 6, 2008 3:00:37 PM

You can't announce that an election won't count, have candidates and voters make decisions based on the announcement that it won't count, hold the election, and then months later decide the election will count after all. That is cheating, plain and simple, and if that is how Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, it will be a worthless nomination, because millions of Democrats will revolt against that kind of corruption.

Posted by: TKD | May 6, 2008 2:58:02 PM

Aaron,

Well Said! Hillary makes Newton and Einstein look like Fairies. That Nasty Obama pretends to care about Gravity, but we all know he and his wife are too elitist to understand how held down we are by it.

Where's Obama's plan to fight Gravity? he simply has no solutions to REAL PROBLEMS!

Hillary 08, even Phyisics can't keep her down!

Posted by: fontapa | May 6, 2008 2:53:40 PM

Another great Clinton argument, the irrefutable negative.

"So you don't support Clinton? So how long have you been a communist pinko republican hippie terrorist small state sexist race pandering undemocratic caucus activist naive youth loser, anyway?"

They're doing it again now. "You don't like Clinton? So you must like really high oil prices" Like the two are somehow indellibly balanced like that...

Posted by: fontapa | May 6, 2008 2:46:35 PM

"The voters of Florida and Michigan were in favor of Clinton over Obama but Obama refused to consider a new legal election."

More HRC BS. The governors of those states did not want to PAY for another election. I love how even HRC supporters want to distort the truth and change the rules because their queen Hillary is losing.

If Hillary REALLY cared about MI and FLv voters, WHY DID SHE AGREE THEY SHOULD NOT BE COUNTED? No one has ever been able to answer that question. Seems like she only cares about them if she can votes from them. Which means she only cares about HER OWN LUST FOR POWER.

Posted by: bill | May 6, 2008 2:45:24 PM

I hate the way people who ARE NOT from Michigan or spin our "Primary". Everyone in Michigan knows our primary was rigged. All the candidates agreed to keep their names off the ballot in protest over Michigan moving its primary ahead. And why? Ask our Gov. Jennifer Granholm, HRC's State Chairman. Does anyone actually think that this is all just too conveinent?

Posted by: Jeanne Carrier | May 6, 2008 2:43:56 PM

Damm how many times will this happen in my life time no unity I am changing to independent if Kennedy took it to the floor and he was 750 short why can't Clinton.

Posted by: Bishop | May 6, 2008 2:42:01 PM

I agree with Irish Gram. Also know matter how much you want Obama to be able to lead this country, he is NOT QUALIFIED at this point in time. If you don't like Clinton how do like $4.00 a gal for gas?

Posted by: Willie | May 6, 2008 2:40:11 PM

sorry "democracy"

Posted by: s.b. | May 6, 2008 2:39:43 PM

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